Fractionally-possessed underground shelter method and apparatus

ABSTRACT

At least one multi-person underground shelter ( 201 ) having at least one common area ( 302 ) and a plurality of discrete private areas ( 301 ) is provided ( 101 ) with exclusive possession of at least some of the discrete private areas being offered ( 102 ) to a plurality of private parties. By one approach this shelter is disposed beneath publicly-owned property ( 202 ). So configured, compensation as pertains to the offered exclusive possession can be provided to the corresponding governmental entity responsible for the publicly-owned property. By this approach, public property can serve a private civil-defense purpose without impairing or interfering with the ordinary purpose and usage of that public property while also offering renumeration and hence an incentive to the relevant governmental body to effect and/or allow the construction of such a shelter.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This comprises a continuation-in-part of four earlier filed patent applications entitled:

SUBSCRIPTION-BASED PRIVATE CIVIL SECURITY FACILITATION METHOD as filed on Mar. 17, 2006 and having application Ser. No. 11/384,037;

SUBSCRIPTION-BASED CATASTROPHE-TRIGGERED MEDICAL SERVICES FACILITATION METHOD as filed on Mar. 30, 2006 and having application Ser. No. 11/394,350;

PERSONAL PROFILE-BASED PRIVATE CIVIL SECURITY SUBSCRIPTION METHOD as filed on Apr. 11, 2006 and having application Ser. No. 11/279,333; and

RADIATION SHELTER KIT APPARATUS AND METHOD as filed on Apr. 24, 2006 and having application Ser. No. 11/379,929; the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by this reference.

This application relates to the following patent applications as were filed on even date herewith (wherein the contents of such patent applications are incorporated herein by this reference):

SUBSCRIPTION-BASED CATASTROPHE-TRIGGERED TRANSPORT SERVICES FACILITATION METHOD AND APPARATUS (8379/87821);

SUBSCRIPTION-BASED MULTI-PERSON EMERGENCY SHELTER METHOD (8379/87823); and

SUBSCRIPTION-BASED CATASTROPHE-TRIGGERED RESCUE SERVICES FACILITATION METHOD AND APPARATUS (8379/87824).

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to underground shelters.

BACKGROUND

As powerful as the machinery of modern life appears, modern citizens are today perhaps more at risk of experiencing a serious disruption in their ability to prosper or even to survive en mass than is generally perceived. Any number of natural and/or human-caused events can greatly disrupt society's infrastructure and corresponding ability to provide one or more life-sustaining resources such as water, nutrition, shelter, and the like. In a similar manner, any number of natural and/or human-caused events can pose a relatively serious environmentally-borne threat (involving, for example, dangerous chemical agents, biological agents, radioactive agents, and so forth).

Many people believe and trust that their government (local, regional, and/or national) will provide for them in the event of such an occurrence. And, indeed, in the long view such is clearly a legitimate responsibility owed by any government to its citizens. That such is a consummation devoutly to be wished, however, does not necessarily make it so. To a large extent one may reasonably argue that many governmental bodies have forsaken their responsibility to design, fund, implement, or even discuss an effective civil defense program capable of protecting large segments of their populations. Only a very few countries, such as Switzerland, make the ability to survive such events a discussed, funded, regulated, and supported part of the civil fabric.

In at least some cases, such lack of governmental action is owing, at least in part, to a lack of resources including but not limited to financial wherewithal. Limited public funds are often applied against today's immediate problems rather than tomorrow's possibilities. Making serious progress with respect to such prioritization comprises an enormous task and one that surpasses the means and capabilities of most citizens.

Such insights, of course, are not particularly new. Civil preparedness shortcomings occasionally attract public attention and niche marketing opportunities exist with respect to provisioning the needs of so-called survivalists. Indeed, there are those who spend a considerable amount of their time and monetary resources attempting to ready themselves to personally survive at least some locally catastrophic events. Therein, however, lies something of a conundrum.

On the one hand, modern governments typically do little to proactively ensure the bulk survival (let alone the comfort) of their citizens in the face of most civilly-catastrophic events. On the other hand, attempting to take responsible actions to reasonably ensure one's own safety and security can become, in and of itself, a cost prohibitive and nearly a full-time avocation that leaves little time to actually enjoy the conveniences and opportunities of modern life. Such individual actions may even be frowned upon by the greater part of society.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above needs are at least partially met through provision of the fractionally-possessed underground shelter method and apparatus described in the following detailed description, particularly when studied in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 comprises a flow diagram as configured in accordance with various embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2 comprises a perspective block diagram as configured in accordance with various embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 3 comprises a top plan block diagram view as configured in accordance with various embodiments of the invention; and

FIG. 4 comprises a top plan block diagram as configured in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.

Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions with respect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study except where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally speaking, pursuant to these various embodiments, at least one multi-person underground shelter having at least one common area and a plurality of discrete private areas is provided with exclusive possession of at least some of the discrete private areas being offered to a plurality of private parties. By one approach this shelter is disposed beneath publicly-owned property. So configured, full or partial compensation as pertains to the offered exclusive possession can be provided to the corresponding governmental entity responsible for the publicly-owned property. By this approach, public property can serve a private civil-defense purpose without impairing or interfering with the ordinary purpose and usage of that public property while also offering remuneration and hence an incentive to the relevant governmental body to effect and/or allow the construction of such a shelter.

The aforementioned common area (or areas) can be as Spartan or as resplendent as desired and may be intentionally varied in this regard to reflect different possessors. The variety, strength, and effectiveness of the threat abatement accoutrements as characterize the shelter can also be varied as a function, at least in part, of locally recognized threats, possessor requirements, and so forth.

These teachings are readily facilitated without dependency upon governmental oversight or control as the construction of the shelter, the transfer of possession rights, and even the subsequent management and care can be rendered by the private sector if desired. By these teachings, an individual can take important steps to bring a considerably improved measure of security into their lives. At the same time, if desired, these teachings can be implemented in a manner that provides incentives to governmental bodies (that are otherwise prone to take no concrete steps in these regards) to provide material enabling support for the building of such shelters.

These and other benefits may become clearer upon making a thorough review and study of the following detailed description. Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, these teachings generally encompass a process 100 that provides 101 a multi-person underground shelter having at least one common area and a plurality of discrete private areas. With momentary reference to FIG. 2, this underground shelter 201 can be comprised of poured and formed concrete, concrete blocks, or such other material as may be desired and/or appropriate in a given application setting. Such a shelter may be fully or partially built on-site or may be pre-fabricated using off-site facilities. There are many known shelter designs and fabrication techniques in the prior art and these teachings are not particularly sensitive to the selection of any particular approach in this regard.

When seeking to provide protection against radioactivity, of course, the usual design goal is to place considerable mass between the shelter inhabitants and the source of the radioactivity. As this shelter comprises an underground shelter, the shelter will have at least some benefits in this regard. To provide particularly effective protection in this regard, it may be useful to cover the shelter with at least two meters of earth (or more). This depth can vary, of course, with the nature of the dirt itself, as a greater depth below less dense earth may be necessary to provide a same level of radiation blockage as a lesser depth of more dense earth.

By one approach, if desired, this underground shelter 201 is positioned, at least in part, under publicly-owned property 202. An illustrative but non-exhaustive listing of exemplary publicly-owned properties that might suffice in this regard would include, but are not limited to:

-   -   a public park;     -   a public golf course;     -   a public sports venue (such as a baseball field, soccer field,         football stadium, and the like);     -   a public school;     -   a public parking lot;     -   a public forest preserve; and     -   a public-access building (such as a town, village, or city hall,         a courthouse, a fire or police station, a public works facility,         a water treatment station, a power plant, or even a freeway or         other thoroughfare, to note but a few).

In a typical application setting the underground shelter 201 will have at least one controlled-access point of ingress/egress 203. When the underground shelter 201 is disposed below publicly-owned property 202, this point of ingress/egress 203 will itself likely be disposed within that publicly-owned property 202. Similarly, when the underground shelter 201 is not situated below publicly-owned property 202, it is possible that this point of ingress/egress 203 will be disposed within property that is not under the full ownership and/or control of the shelter possessors. In such cases, by one approach, providing a multi-person underground shelter 201 can further comprise providing an easement 204 by which the future shelter inhabitants can have a right to gain access to (or to take their leave from) the underground shelter 201. Various forms of easement are known in the art and require no further elaboration here.

As stated above, this process 100 specifies provision of a multi-person underground shelter that has at least one common area and a plurality of discrete private areas. An illustrative example in this regard appears in FIG. 2. In this example the underground shelter 201 has at least a first common area and optionally up to M common areas (where M comprises an integer value) as denoted generally by reference numeral 302. In a similar manner the underground shelter 201 also has at least a first and second discrete private area and optionally up to N discrete private areas (where N comprises an integer value) as denoted generally by reference numeral 301.

This common area (or areas) 302 comprises, as the name suggests, an area that is common to all of the inhabitants of the underground shelter 201. This common area 302 will typically be configured and arranged (via layout and accoutrements) to serve one or more common purposes. Some illustrative examples in this regard would include, but are not limited to:

-   -   a cooking preparation area;     -   a food serving areas;     -   a dining area;     -   a group meeting area;     -   a physical conditioning area (including, for example, exercise         equipment and the like);     -   a sanitation area (including, for example, facilities suited for         personal hygiene, facilities sanitation, trash disposal and/or         processing, and the like); and     -   an external communications area (that is, facilities to effect         or otherwise facilitate communications with entities external to         the underground shelter, including but not limited to one-way         and two-way audio, video, and data communications), to note but         a few.

By contrast, the discrete private areas 301 provide private accommodations for corresponding inhabitants of the underground shelter 201 and represent space and facilities that are not necessarily shared by all inhabitants of the underground shelter 201. By one approach, for example, and referring momentarily to FIG. 4, at least some of these discrete private areas 301 can comprise, at least in part, lodging accommodations 401. This can comprise built-in or free-standing sleeping accommodations or the like. This discrete private area 301 may include such other facilities as are desired. Examples include, but are not limited to:

-   -   personal hygiene facilities (including toilet and bathing         facilities);     -   personal storage space;     -   personal food preparation facilities;     -   personal external communications facilities; and     -   personal meeting facilities, to note but a few.

Returning again to FIG. 2, this common area 302 and these discrete private areas 301 can be demarked from one another using any suitable technique or mechanism. By one simple approach, these areas are differentiated by agreement, instruction, and/or control without use of any physical barriers, walls, or the like (though relevant visual markings (for example, on the floor and/or ceiling) can be used to provide a visual cue as to these corresponding boundaries). By another approach, curtains, temporary panels, or the like can be used to differentiate these various areas from one another. By yet another approach permanent walls can be used to make the desired separations.

By one optional approach the underground shelter 201 is configured and arranged to provide filtered air to persons within the underground shelter 201. One or more air filters 303 can be used for this purpose. This air filter 303 may itself comprise an air drawer to draw filtered air into the underground shelter 201. Various air drawers are known in the art and include electrically powered air drawers, human-powered air drawers, and the like. If desired, these and/or other components as are known in the art can be employed to selectively provide positive air pressure within the multi-person underground shelter 201 to discourage entry of external airborne contaminants. Techniques and equipment in this regard are known in the art and require no further elaboration here.

If desired, this underground shelter 201 can further comprise a supplies storage area 304 (or areas). These supplies can comprise common supplies, privately held supplies, or some combination thereof as may be desired or appropriate in a given application setting. By one approach these supplies can comprise, at least in part, consumable survival supplies. Illustrative examples include, but are not limited to:

-   -   food supplies;     -   potable water;     -   medical supplies; and     -   hygiene supplies, to note but a few.

In addition, or in lieu thereof, these supplies can comprise, at least in part, non-consumable survival supplies. Illustrative examples include, but are not limited to:

-   -   clothing items;     -   towels;     -   bed linens;     -   food preparation items;     -   communication items; and     -   entertainment items, to again note but a few.

It would also be possible, though perhaps less desirable, to stock such an underground shelter with other items less associated with survival and/or enduring a period of remaining in the underground shelter.

In some cases it may be useful or desirable to provide a manager for the underground shelter 201. Such a person can ensure that access requirements and restrictions are observed, that private areas are respected without trespass, that stored supplies remain unmolested, and that various other rules or regulations as may apply in a given setting are observed. Other duties or responsibilities are also possible if desired. By one approach this manager can comprise a part-time manager. By another approach this manager can comprise a full-time manager. Such a person may reside off-site with respect to the underground shelter 201 or, if desired, a specific office and/or residence area 305 can optionally be provided in the underground shelter 201 to accommodate such a person (or persons).

Referring again to FIG. 1, this process 100 then provides for offering 102 exclusive possession of at least some of the discrete private areas to a plurality of private parties. By this approach, the plurality of discrete private areas can be fractionally possessed by these parties. Fractional possession will be understood to comprise a divided co-possessory interest by and between multiple private parties with respect to a right to possession of the discrete private areas. There are various ways by which such possession can be so imbued including, but not limited to, a sale of an ownership interest, rental, a lease, a barter arrangement, or the like. By one approach, these offers can be proffered by, for example, a for-profit business. By another approach a not-for-profit business (such as a membership-based entity) may be the appropriate entity to offer such possession rights.

As noted, these teachings provide for a right to exclusively possess at least one private area with the underground shelter. This shall be understood to refer to and encompass a variety of legal mechanisms. Some relevant examples include, but these teachings are not limited to, conveyance mechanisms such as:

time-limited rights of possession (as where a subscription provides possession rights for a specific period of time, such as one year, in exchange for a corresponding series of payments);

event-limited rights of possession (as where a subscription provides possession rights during the life of a given subscriber based upon an up-front payment in full and where those possession rights terminate upon the death of the subscriber or where, for example, a company purchases such rights for a key employee and those corresponding rights of possession terminate when and if that key employee leaves the employment of that company);

inheritable rights of possession (as may occur when the possessory right, by its own terms and conditions, provides a right of possession that extends past the death of a named beneficiary and further allows for testate and/or intestate transfer to an heir);

rights of possession predicated upon a series of periodic payments (as where a transfer provides possessory rights during, for example, predetermined periods of time on a periodic basis as where a private party offers month-by-month payments to gain corresponding month-by-month possession rights);

rights of possession predicated upon a one-time payment (as may occur when a private party makes a single payment to obtain a time-based or event-based duration of possession rights or, if desired, when a single payment serves to acquire a perpetual right of possession that may be retained, transferred, inherited, or the like);

ownership-based rights of possession (as may occur when the transfer provides for ownership rights with respect to the discrete private area);

non-transferable rights of possession (as may occur when the transfer, by its terms and conditions, prohibits transfer of the right of possession to the discrete private area from a first named beneficiary to another);

transferable rights of possession (as may occur when the transfer, by its terms and conditions, permits conditional or unconditional transfer of the right of possession from a first named beneficiary to another);

membership-based rights of possession (as may occur when the transfer, by its terms and conditions, establishes a membership interest with respect to the accorded right of possession such as, for example, a club-based membership); and/or

non-ownership-based rights of possession (as may occur when the transfer, by its terms and conditions, establishes the aforementioned right of possession via, for example, a lease, rental, or borrowing construct).

If desired, a plurality of differentiated offers can be offered in this regard. This plurality of differentiated offers can correspond, for example, to providing possession to differing discrete private areas. As but one very simple illustration in this regard, such offers can differ from one another at least with respect to cost. This, in turn, provides a basis for choice with respect to selecting a particular offer that best meets specific needs and/or budget limitations. For example, one offer can provide for possessing a given discrete private area of a particular size and/or having particular amenities while another offer might provide for a discrete private area and/or amenities that are more costly.

These teachings also readily encompass the notion of a given party accepting such an offer for an authorized beneficiary other than themselves. Such might occur, for example, when one family member procures such a right of possession for one or more other family members. Another example would be for a company to obtain this right of possession on behalf of named key employees, family members of such key employees, and so forth. Other examples no doubt exist.

Accessing and remaining within an underground shelter in response to a civilly-catastrophic event would likely comprise a trying and difficult set of experiences for many people. In some cases a given individual may be particularly ill-suited to participate in such actions. This, in turn, can be troublesome for the individual while also presenting serious problems for other parties within the shelter. It may therefore be useful in some cases to obtain information regarding one or more of the private party's likely personal response to, for example, residing in a multi-person underground shelter and then use that information to determine whether to withhold the offer of exclusive possession or to take other appropriate corresponding actions with respect to parties who appears ill-suited in this regard.

By one approach it may be appropriate to limit the ability of the private parties to access the underground shelter notwithstanding this exclusive right of possession. For example, residency of the shelter may be limited to times as correspond to at least a likely imminent civilly-catastrophic event that will likely affect these parties. Such access may be predicated, for example, upon a requirement that the civilly-catastrophic event be one that persists in substantial form for more than a predetermined period of time (such as one hour, one day, one week, and so forth) or that causes at least a predetermined amount or degree of infrastructure impairment or other measurable impact of choice.

As used herein, “civilly-catastrophic event” will be understood to refer to an event that substantially and materially disrupts a society's local, regional, and/or national infrastructure and ability to provide in ordinary course for the at least one life-sustaining resource that is the subject of the subscription. Such a civilly-catastrophic event can include both a precipitating event (which may occur over a relatively compressed period of time or which may draw out over an extended period of time) as well as the resultant aftermath of consequences wherein the precipitating event and/or the resultant aftermath include both the cause of the infrastructure interruption as well as the continuation of that interruption.

A civilly-catastrophic event can be occasioned by any of a wide variety of natural and/or human-caused disasters. Examples of natural disasters that are potentially capable of initiating a civilly-catastrophic event include, but are not limited to, extreme weather-related events (such as hurricanes, tsunamis, extreme droughts, widespread or unfortunately-targeted tornadoes, extreme hail or rain, and the like, flooding, and so forth), extreme geological events (such as earthquakes, volcanic activity, and so forth), extreme space-based collisions (as with comets, large asteroids, and so forth), extreme environmental events (such as widespread uncontrolled fire or the like), and global or regional pandemics, to note but a few.

Examples of human-caused disasters capable of initiating a civilly-catastrophic event include both unintended events as well as intentional acts of war, terrorism, madness or the like. Examples of human-caused disasters capable of such potential scale include, but are not limited to, nuclear-related events (including uncontrolled fission or fusion releases, radiation exposure, and so forth), acts of war, the release of deadly or otherwise disruptive biological or chemical agents or creations, and so forth.

When limiting access in such a manner, if may be useful to permit access during more ordinary times to permit the private parties to, for example, stock their respective private areas with survival and/or less critical supplies. By one approach, for example, a limited schedule could be used for this purpose. To illustrate, such access might be permitted no more than once a week, or each Friday, or the third Saturday of each month, and so forth.

Other embellishments for such an underground shelter as are known in the art may also be considered if desired. Examples include, but are not limited to, auxiliary electric power supplies, lighting, temperature and/or humidity control, water purification, and so forth. It may also be desirable to pre-supply such a shelter with at least some medical supplies. This could include, for example, chronic care equipment and/or supplies to ensure that a particular private party having particular needs in this regard is well tended during a time of taking up residency in the shelter.

By yet another approach, such a shelter can provide private safe deposit box service for the private parties. This, in turn, would permit these parties with another option to pre-provision such a shelter with certain personal items of their choice and/or to have a safe place to store their own valuables upon arriving at the shelter during times of need.

These teachings would also accommodate providing survival training to these parties. Such training could comprise in-person, on-site training, live instructors, and/or previously prepared teaching resources such as, but not limited to, electronic learning resources. This training could include both general information regarding specific do's and don'ts as pertain to different kinds of civilly-catastrophic events as well as more specific information regarding specific actions that should be taken by the private parties with respect to successfully gaining access to the underground shelter in times of need.

These teachings will also accommodate providing the parties with a corresponding authorization mechanism by which they can effect their right of access to the underground shelter. This may comprise a mechanism that the party carries with them as personal property (such as an identification card) or, for example, a biometric-based identity authentication process that relies upon fingerprints, retinal patterns, or some other relatively unique aspect of the human body.

It will be appreciated that these teachings provide for a highly flexible yet powerfully effective way by which a modern citizen can greatly improve their likelihood of surviving a civilly-catastrophic event. These teachings are sufficiently flexible so as to accommodate the needs and desires of a wide-ranging set of potential beneficiaries while nevertheless offering various incentives to, for example, local municipalities to take a more active role in developing, or permitting the development of, underground shelters of various kinds. In particular, these teachings represent a new source of income for governmental bodies that are often monetarily challenged without requiring an undue compromise with respect to public lands that become used in this fashion. Though training and some related activity may be provided and encouraged, in general the beneficiary receives benefit without being required to make the commitment of time, energy, and expertise that would ordinarily be associated with attaining such a high level of civil security.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of modifications, alterations, and combinations can be made with respect to the above described embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventive concept. As but one example in this regard, if desired, the above-mentioned fractional possession can extend to the common area(s) of a shelter as well as to the private areas. 

1. A method comprising: providing a multi-person underground shelter having at least one common area and a plurality of discrete private areas; offering exclusive possession of at least some of the discrete private areas to a plurality of private parties; such that the plurality of discrete private areas are fractionally possessed by a plurality of different private parties.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a multi-person underground shelter having a plurality of discrete private areas comprises discrete private areas that each comprise, at least in part, lodging accommodations.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a multi-person underground shelter having at least one common area comprises providing at least one common area comprising at least one of: a cook preparation area; a food serving area; a dining area; a group meeting area; a physical conditioning area; a sanitation area; an external communications area.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a multi-person underground shelter comprises providing a multi-person underground shelter that is covered with at least two meters of earth.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a multi-person underground shelter comprises providing a multi-person underground shelter having a controlled-access point of ingress/egress.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a multi-person underground shelter comprises providing a multi-person underground shelter that is configured and arranged to provide filtered air to the private parties when resident within the multi-person underground shelter.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein providing a multi-person underground shelter comprises providing a multi-person underground shelter that is configured and arranged to provide positive air pressure within the multi-person underground shelter to discourage entry of external airborne contaminants.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a multi-person underground shelter comprises providing a multi-person underground shelter having a full-time resident manager.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein offering exclusive possession of at least some of the discrete private areas to private parties comprises limiting residency of the multi-person underground shelter to times as correspond to at least a likely imminent civilly-catastrophic event that will likely affect the private parties.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein offering exclusive possession of at least some of the discrete private areas to private parties further comprises permitting access to the multi-person shelter on a limited schedule to thereby permit the private parties to at least stock their respective private areas with survival supplies.
 11. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a multi-person underground shelter comprises providing a multi-person underground shelter that is stocked with at least some consumable survival supplies.
 12. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a multi-person underground shelter that is stocked with at least some consumable survival supplies comprises stocking the multi-person underground shelter with at least one of: food supplies; potable water; medical supplies; hygiene supplies.
 13. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a multi-person underground shelter comprises providing a multi-person underground shelter that is stocked with at least some non-consumable survival supplies.
 14. The method of claim 13 wherein providing a multi-person underground shelter that is stocked with at least some non-consumable survival supplies comprises stocking the multi-person underground shelter with at least one of: clothing items; towels; bed linens; food preparation items; communications items; entertainment items.
 15. The method of claim 1 wherein providing a multi-person underground shelter comprises providing a multi-person underground shelter under publicly-owned property.
 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the publicly-owned property comprises at least one of: a public park; a public golf course; a public sports venue; a public parking lot; a forest preserve a public access building.
 17. The method of claim 1 wherein offering exclusive possession of at least some of the discrete private areas to private parties comprises offering the exclusive possession via at least one of: a sale of ownership; rental; a lease; a barter arrangement.
 18. The method of claim 1 wherein offering exclusive possession of at least some of the discrete private areas to private parties further comprises offering an easement to the private parties to facilitate gaining access to the multi-person underground shelter.
 19. The method of claim 1 wherein offering exclusive possession of at least some of the discrete private areas to private parties comprises offering a right of exclusive possession that is legally transferable.
 20. The method of claim 1 wherein offering exclusive possession of at least some of the discrete private areas to private parties further comprises: obtaining information regarding one of the private party's likely personal response to residing in a multi-person underground shelter; determining whether to withhold the offer of exclusive possession as a function, at least in part, of the information. 